


Escape the Night: Unexpected Twists

by Dede42



Series: Escape the Night Season 1 [1]
Category: Escape the Night (Web Series)
Genre: 1920s, Action/Adventure, Battleship, Betrayal, Bittersweet Ending, Blame Game, Buried Alive, Carnival, Character Death, Chess, Circus, Clues, Dark Comedy, Dark Fantasy, Demons, Dinner Party, Dolls, Dreams, Electrocution, Escape the Night Season 1, Evil, Exorcisms, Family, Friendship, Greenhouse, Guns, Hallucinations, Haunted Houses, House Party, Insanity, M/M, Mermaids, Monsters, Murder Journal, Murder Mystery, Novelization, Poison, Psychological Trauma, Riddles, Ring Toss, Russian Roulette, Soldiers, Spirit Board, Supernatural Elements, Survival Horror, Time Travel, Torture, Trauma, Ungodly Machine, War, Zombies, electric chairs, mannequins, mansion, poisonous gas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-28
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2019-12-25 20:29:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18268799
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dede42/pseuds/Dede42
Summary: For centuries, the Society Against Evil has been fighting those who serve the Cursed God and watching over some unique people who have the ability to overcome the Darkness and Evil. What will they do when one of these people becomes friends with Joey Graceffa and gets targeted by one of the Cursed God's minions?





	1. PROLOGUE: A NEW LIGHT

**Author's Note:**

> Hello to all ETN fans who find this! So, this is a pre-series story that came to me in a dream, and I will eventually will be posting it on my fanfiction.net account once I'm done posting all of ETN Season 1 on there.
> 
> So, I started writing Escape the Night fanfics after watching Season 3 and rematching the first two seasons once I cave and got the YouTube Premium subscription. So, on with the story!
> 
> Read, review, and enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Escape the Night. I asked the characters to come out and play, and they did!

PROLOGUE: A NEW LIGHT

*****

Utah Valley Hospital  
Provo, Utah  
October 19, 1982…

In one of the delivery rooms of the hospital, a doctor and three nurses worked on helping a young woman with long dark hair that was soaked with sweat and hazel eyes with the birth of her first baby, and holding her hand was her husband, who had short brown hair and light blue eyes. The sky was just starting to lighten outside the window when the woman let out a scream of pain, and the doctor helped deliver a baby girl.

Finding that the baby was asleep, one of the nurses poked her backside with a needle and the newborn baby girl started crying and screaming. As the doctor spoke with the parents about what they would name their daughter, and two of the nurses worked on cleaning and wrapping the baby in a clean blanket after the umbilical cord had been cut, the third nurse slipped out of the room with the claim that she needed to get some supplies for the delivery room.

*****

Once she was out of sight of the delivery room, the nurse headed for a stairwell instead of the supply room, and she descended the stairs until she reached the ground floor, having removed the smock, the cap, and the gloves in the process. Stuffing them into a bag that she then stuffed into a trash bin, she went out into the lobby, and crossed the area while nodding to passing other nurses and doctors as she headed for the front desk.

“Checking out for the morning, Susan?” the nurse at the desk inquired.

“Yup, I sure am, Debbie,” Susan agreed, clocking out by signing the form that Debbie handed her. “Another long night is over.” Saying bye the nurse, she headed out the door just as the sun started rising over the mountains.

*****

Reaching her car, Susan got in, and opened a compartment by the steering wheel, revealing an unusual steampunk-like device. Turning it on, she turned a few knobs and then picked up a circular device that was connected to the device with a cable.

“Agent Costa to base, Agent Costa to base.”

A minute passed, and then a voice responded over the device. `“Agent Costa, this is base. What do you have to report?”`

“A successful delivery, sir,” Susan answered. “They had a baby girl, and she’s beautiful. I can already tell that she has a certain Light about her.”

`“Excellent,”` the voice said with approval. `“The Council of Elders will be informed. Do you have a name for the baby?”`

“The Hatcher’s have chosen to name their daughter Dawn Diana Hatcher,” Susan replied.

`“Understood.”`

*****

In a hidden and secure location, six men and six women of various ethnics and ages, were seated at a circular table in a large chamber and going over some reports when there was a knock on the doors to the chamber.

“Enter,” the First Elder ordered and the doors opened to let in a man, who was carrying a folder under one arm. “Yes?”

“A report from the field office in Utah, sir,” said the man, handing over the folder. “We have confirmation on the Hatcher’s new baby.”

The First Elder nodded and the man left as he opened the folder that had the report in it, and he took out a small blue crystal that he inserted into a slot on the table. Above them, a large circular blue crystal orb started glowing, and a beam of light shot out of it, transforming into the face of the newborn baby girl. “Gentlemen, ladies, this is the newest potential Light-bearer, and her name is Dawn Diana Hatcher.”

“Was there any complications with the birth?” one of the male Elders asked. “For I thought she was suppose to be born sooner.”

“Unlike the miscarriage the year before, there was no serious complications according to the report,” the First Elder informed them. “However, with her being a post-term baby, there might be the possibility of her developing a disability, but as for serious health problems, it’s too soon to say for sure.”

“Being born a week and a half late isn’t as serious as it could be,” remarked one of the female Elders. “She is healthy and she has the potential to be a powerful Light-bearer should she discover how to summon the Light when the time is right. For her parents come from two of the most powerful Light-bearer bloodlines.”

“And as we have done for centuries, the new baby will be watched over,” the First Elder agreed. “Now, where are we in locating the minions of the Cursed God? There are reports that some of them are hidden in parts of California.”

Nodding, the Elders resumed going through the reports that came from the various leaders and agents of the Society Against Evil, and their ongoing battle against the Cursed God and its’ minions.


	2. Chapter 1: A New Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's 2010, and Dawn Hatcher is one of the celebrity guests for San Dego Comic-Con. She doesn't know it yet, but she's about to start an unexpected friendship with one Joey Graceffa.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! I hadn't actually intended to post the first chapter today, but I felt like doing it after spending four hours with my client earlier, and I need to focus on something other then my upcoming root canal on Wednesday. Well…make that two root canals since two of my back teeth on the right are needed to be work on. Yeah, not really looking forward to that.
> 
> Anyway, enough about real life, and on with the story!
> 
> Read, review, and enjoy!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own any characters from Escape the Night. I asked the characters to come out and play, and they did!

*****

San Diego Comic-con  
San Diego, California  
July 23, 2010…

It was day two of San Diego Comic-con, and waiting backstage for her panel, Dawn Hatcher was pacing a little and shaking her hands a bit to get rid of her nerves. This wasn’t her first appearance at at comic-con since her popularity as an actress, which was primarily due to her acting in SciFi related TV shows and/or movies as she was following in the footsteps of her parents, and yet she still got nervous before appearing before a large crowd of fans.

_‘I just hope no one questions me about why I don’t get my Autism fixed,’_ Dawn thought while taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down. ‘Autism isn’t an illness or anything like that, it’s just part of who I am.’ True, it wasn’t until about three years ago that she’d been re-tested and confirmed to having a form of Autism, known as Asperger's, instead of a learning disability, but it didn’t change who she was in anyway or form.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

Dawn started and smiled sheepishly at the aide she’d been assigned for her time at the convention. “Sorry, just mentally preparing myself for the crowd out there,” she admitted, nodding to the curtain and the noises coming from the grand ballroom that was being filled with men, women, and children at that very moment. “Sounds like a full house.”

“It is,” the aide agreed. “You’ve got a lot of fans, Miss Hatcher.”

The brunette chuckled, knowing that he was right. “Yeah, I do.”

“Anyway, I got some information on who will be overseeing the panel and fielding questions,” the aide added, holding up an iPad, which was the latest items released by Apple, and on it was the image of a young man with emo-styled brown hair and blue eyes. “He’s a YouTuber named Joey Graceffa.”

“He runs a channel on YouTube?” Dawn asked, taking the iPad and scrolling through the information on Joey. “Huh, he’s only nineteen and he’s overseeing a panel here?”

The aide nodded and took back the iPad. “Yup, and he’s pretty successful all the same.” His radio crackled to life and he listened to it through the earpiece. “Ok, I’ll let her know. Five minutes before you go out, Miss Hatcher.”

Dawn nodded and looked toward the curtain, once again feeling nervous, but she was also curious of how a nineteen-year-old kid was going to handle the panel. ‘This is going to be interesting.’

*****

“And now for the lady of the hour,” said Joey Graceffa into the microphone and the audience cheered loudly, oblivious to the fact that he was a bundle of nerves, and if they couldn’t tell that he was nervous, then that was fine with him. “Come on out, Dawn Hatcher!”

The room almost exploded with cheers as Dawn came out from behind the curtain with a big smile on her face, a microphone in one hand, and she waved to the cheering audience as she made her way over to the two chairs and the table between them. “Hello, San Diego!” she called out and the cheers got even louder. “Wow, keep that up and I might end up going deaf,” she joked and everyone laughed in response.

As the camera men set up to do the picture with the audience in the background, Dawn stood next to Joey, and she whispered to him. “Take a deep breath, Joey, you’re doing fine.”

Joey blinked and looked at her, mildly surprised. “I am?”

“Trust me, this doesn’t get easier, but it’s worth it,” the brunette added with a wink and as the camera was aimed at them, they put their arms around each others’ shoulders and smiled brightly as their picture was taken.

*****

Some time later, after the panel was over and doing both autographs and photo opts, Dawn retreated back to the green room where the other celebrities and those who got to oversee the panels hung out until they were either needed for an appearance, an interview, or until it was time to go back to their hotel rooms.

She nodded to Stan Lee as he headed out for his panel, and she looked around for a place to sit to go over a script for Doctor Who when she noticed Joey sitting by himself at a round table. Stuffing the script back into her bag to look at later, she went over to the table. “Hi, mind if I join you?” she asked and when he started, she quickly apologized. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. I’ll sit elsewhere if you don’t want company.”

“No, no, you can sit down of you want,” Joey said quickly, surprised that the very actress he’d interviewed earlier and had laughed at both her stories and jokes during the panel was wanting to sit with him. ‘And this is the biggest thing to happen to me since first moving to Los Angles a few months ago,’ he thought as she put her bag on the table and sat in the chair next to his. “So, uh, I – oh gosh.”

Dawn chuckled when she saw that he was becoming a bundle of nerves again. “Breathe, Joey, this is just a normal thing, not an interview.”

Joey snickered and started loosening up. “Right, sorry, not used to this kind of thing.”

“Trust me, I know the feeling,” the brunette agreed. “The first time I went to do a panel at a Star Trek Convention, I almost fainted, and I was ten years old at the time.” And she grinned when he laughed, clearly imagining her at age ten and expected to appear before a large audience on a stage somewhere in New York.

Soon enough, they were talking about all kinds of things, including their own backgrounds, and this lead to a discussion about disabilities.

*****

“…I’ve heard of high school teachers doing dumb things, but that dumbest thing I’ve heard so far,” Dawn remarked when Joey shared with her about the Spanish teacher he’d had in high school and her blurting out about that he needed to go to his IEP class in front of everyone. “She broke the rules by doing that, and telling your counselor about that was the right call to make. Some people are just jerks, and she’s one of them.”

“I know,” Joey agreed, impressed with how easy it was talk about this kind of stuff with the brunette. “I had to work hard to get out of the IEP classes, and it was worth it.”

“Over coming stuff like disabilities isn’t easy,” Dawn agreed. “Even before I got myself retested to learn what was believed to be a learning disability was actually a very mild form of Autism, it was a struggle, but look at both of us now.”

“Yeah, look at us both.”

After that day, Joey Graceffa and Dawn Hatcher became close friends, giving each other their contact information, and through Joey, she got to know other YouTubers. Dawn even got involved with some of their YouTube projects from time to time, usually to provide acting advise and how to do simple fight scenes or falls onto pads without getting hurt too badly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Talk about the start of a wonderful friendship, right? See you all on Monday! Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	3. Chapter 2: Meeting Daniel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter takes place five years after the first one, and it's time to introduce Joey's handsome boyfriend!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy April 1st, ETN fans! Yup, it's the start of a new month and what's more perfect to start the month then by posting a new chapter? On with the story!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t own anything from Escape the Night. I just own any and all characters that I just happen to create.

CHAPTER TWO: MEETING DANIEL

*****

Five years after becoming friends on that day at San Diego Comic-con, Dawn was in the Los Angles area having finished up some work when she got a call from Joey, who’d finally changed his hairstyle three years ago, to see if she could come by his new house to see him about something important, and she agreed since the last time they had gotten to spend any time together was when he’d talked her into being an acting consultant on the reality web series Fight of the Living Dead.

It had gone against her policy of not involving herself with horror or zombie-related stuff outside of the TV series Supernatural, but it had also turned out to be quite fun since all she really had to do was give advise to the actors playing the zombies, plus some of the YouTubers involved in the project, and had seen everything on the screens in the control room, cringing whenever one of the YouTubers competing got ‘killed off’ during game mode.

*****

Pulling up in front of the correct house, Dawn got out of her car and locked it before heading up the walkway to the front door and knocked on it, noting that her friend had chosen a nice neighborhood to live in after being roommates with several YouTubers for a while. Being told that it was unlocked and she could come in, the brunette entered the house for the first time.

“Hey, Joey, I- Oof!” Dawn got cut off when a black/white blur tackled her to the floor and she landed on her back with a thud. “Ow,” she mumbled while looking at the large black/white husky puppy with blue/gold eyes that was currently on her chest and happily licking her face. “Wolf, couldn’t resist could you?” she asked dryly as Wolf kept giving her puppy kisses.

“Wolf!” Joey ran out of the kitchen and tugged his dog off of the brunette so that she could get up. “Sorry, I forgot to put him out back, Donny.”

Dawn chuckled, having gotten used to Wolf tackling her to the floor after the first few times, and she had to admit that he was helping her get over her fear of large dogs that she’d been dealing with ever since she’d gotten clawed by a large dog when she’d been in kinder-garden. “So, this is the new house?” she asked.

Joey nodded. “Yeah, and I’ll give you a tour in a bit, but there’s someone that I want you to meet first. Come on into the kitchen.”

*****

Entering the kitchen, Joey got Wolf to go out into the backyard to play with his toys, and he turned to the brunette. “Dawn, I want you to meet Daniel Preda,” he said, gesturing to a slightly older young man with short black hair and dark eyes. “Daniel, this is Dawn Hatcher, one of my close friends, and Dawn, Daniel is my boyfriend.”

“A pleasure to finally meet you, Daniel,” Dawn said and wasn’t too surprised when Daniel chose to hig her instead of shake her hand, having gotten used to the fact that some people tend to prefer hugging to handshaking, and she was happy to see that Joey, who had had confided in her the year before that he was starting to suspect that he was gay before finally coming out online a few months ago, had finally gotten over his previous boyfriend, Preston. “Yup, know Joey to hook up with a hugger.”

Daniel chuckled while Joey snickered. “Joey warned me about your sense of humor, Dawn,” he remarked with a smile. “And he was right, it can be a bit wicked.”

“‘A bit wicked’?” the brunette repeated with mock horror and confronted Joey, who was now laughing out right. “Joey Graceffa, just what kind of lies have you been telling people? My sense of humor isn’t wicked!”

“It can be!” Joey wheezed from laughing so hard, and soon enough they were having one of their teasing arguments that had Daniel laughing.

*****

After the fun teasing was over for the time being, Joey and Daniel showed Dawn around the house, pointing out where Joey’s biological father had been doing some repair work for them, and how Daniel had been decorating the inside of the rooms. In the end, it was clear to the brunette that Joey had definitely found Mr. Right for himself, and that the house was perfect for them both.

*****

“Daniel, you’re putting my mom’s interior design skills to shame,” Dawn remarked after they had lunch in the kitchen and had enjoyed watching Wolf’s attempts to get food from their plates. “You’ve done a great job.”

“Thanks, Donny,” Daniel said. “Now, if we could do something about your wardrobe.” He snickered when the brunette groaned good naturally and hid her face in her hands. “I’ve heard that it could do some work.”

“Will you two, along with who knows how many other people please stop pestering me about my fashion decisions?” Dawn protested while peering through her fingers at the two grinning boys. “There’s nothing wrong with how I dress, ok?!” And sighed when they started laughing outright. “Your’e both pathetic,” she grumbled, but without any heat.

It was an ongoing joke throughout the various communities about Dawn’s more conservative and modest way of dressing, instead of going into the latest fashions like so many other celebrities, and she’d stated more then once in several interviews that how she chose to present herself to the world did stem from how her parents had raised her as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, growing up in Utah, and wanting to be a good example to both her three sisters, and her two nephews.

The brunette had been criticized more then once about her choice of fashion, her religious beliefs, and her political views. But she stood firm with her choices and pointed out when it came to the LGBT community, that if Fred Rogers, also known best as Mr. Rogers, could be tolerant, then so could she since as an actress, she worked with all kinds of people from all walks of life.

“If people don’t like how I choose to live my life,” Dawn had stated in an interview once, “then that’s their choice. There’s already too much hatred in the world, and I have no intention of adding to it. My life hasn’t always been easy, for I have been bullied for how I did things as a kid, and I was even physically harmed by a bully back in the fourth grade. But I have chosen to rise above all that, learn from those experiences, and I have become a better person as a result.”

*****

After spending time with Joey and Daniel, plus getting licked a lot by Wolf, Dawn left the house to get back to work, and for the remainder of 2015, life went on as normal.

But little did anyone know, come 2016, things were going to change in a big way for certain people, and it wasn’t going to be a good change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So that you all know, I read the book Joey wrote about himself growing up and coming out, which is how I know about that jerk, Preston. And believe me, that Preston guy was a complete jerk for leading Joey like that.
> 
> Anyway, next update with be on Thursday since I got the shift I was suppose to be working that day covered so that I can have time to recover from the upcoming root canal work I'll be having done on the day after tomorrow.
> 
> R&R everyone!


	4. CHAPTER THREE: VISION AND MISSION

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's now the start of 2016, and things are going to start getting a bit strange. Dawn still has no idea that the Society Against Evil is watching over her, and something is going to happen that will have them start focusing on Joey, too. But what could it be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world, and welcome to the next installment! So, I was suppose to be at the dentist having my root canal, but I found out yesterday after I got off work, which was hectic due to it being a discount day, plus Spring Break, and having the new Dumbo movie in theaters, a text from the dentist office informing me that I would need to reschedule since the dentist had to step out that day because of something coming up.  
> So, I've decided to post this today in order to vent my frustration that I have to wait until a week from today to get the whole root canal business over with.  
> Ok, rant mode off, and story telling on. On with the story!

CHAPTER THREE: VISION AND MISSION

*****

_Darkness. It exists in darkness and feeds on those it is able to corrupt. It has served a higher being that is responsible for its’ creation ages ago. It has lure many into its’ embrace, and it now seeks to lure another innocent to corrupt and feed upon._

_From its’ hiding place, it reaches out into the modern world, and it searches until it finds an innocent. It probes the mind of the innocent, finds that this one is not worthy, and it resumes it search until it finds another innocent. Once again it probes the mind of the innocent, and this time, it likes what it finds._

_Yes, this innocent will do nicely._

*****

“Agh!” a man with messy dark hair and dark eyes screamed, trapped in the grips of a vision, and he struggled against the straitjacket that he was locked into. “No! No! Stop it! Stop it!” He twisted and turned, toppling onto the floor of the room that he was being held in, and when the vision finally faded, he went limp with exhaustion.

The man gasped, trying to breath normally, and frozen when he heard a key turn in the lock of the door. _‘No, no, don’t come in, don’t come in!’_ he thought, his heart gripping with fear as the door opened to reveal the man that owned the place that he was a prisoner of. “Please, please don’t ask. Please.”

“Vincent,” said the man, going down on one knee to speak to the man. “Vincent, you had a vision, tell me about it,” he requested and Vincent tried to look away, he slapped him across the face and yanked him up by the front of the straitjacket. “You had a vision, Vincent, and I need to know what you saw. Now tell _me!_ ”

Whimpering, Vincent told the man everything that had been in the vision, and when he was done, the man let go, making him drop back to the floor with a pained grunt as the back of his head collided with the floor.

“Why is the evil seeking out someone new?” the man wondered, concerned since he’d been serving the evil for several decades, and now, it was looking for someone new was troubling when it came to his own plans. He looked down at Vincent before standing up and leaving the room, locking the door behind him. _‘This is troubling, and I need to do something research.’_

Once he was certain that the evil man was gone, Vincent began crying, wishing that he’d never come to that cursed place.

*****

In a mansion somewhere in California, a man with brown hair that was a military buzz cut, brown eyes, and was wearing a white shirt covered with a grey vest, grey pants, and black shiny shoes was seated on a couch in the study, sipping a brandy and reading through a report when there was a knock on the door. “Enter.”

A man entered the study with a folder tucked under one arm. “Sir, there’s been some activity and it looks like the Evil has found a new target.”

The Society Against Evil leader set down both the report he’d been reading and his drink on the table. “Let me see,” he requested and was given the folder. He flipped through the report, his forehead furrowing, and he became concerned since he knew who was being targeted. “Joey Graceffa is being targeted by the Evil? This is the same YouTuber who is a friend of Dawn Hatcher?”

“Yes sir. What should we do, Mr. McCoy?”

James McCoy sighed, seeing this as a problem since if the Evil was targeting someone with connections to a possible Light-bearer, it could complicate their war against the Cursed God. “Do we have any agents in the YouTube community?” he asked after reading the full report.

“Several, sir, and one of them lives in the same area as that of Mr. Graceffa.”

“Have that agent come here as soon as possible.”

“Yes, sir.”

*****

Sometime later, James was at the desk, going over paperwork when there was a knock on the study door. “Enter,” he said, looking up as the door opened to let in Shane Dawson, and he nodded to the chair that was on the other side of the desk. “Please have a sit, Mr. Dawson.”

Shane nodded and seated himself on the chair, feeling nervous since it’d been a while since the last time he’d spent any time in one of the safe houses since he finished his training, and he was starting to suspect that he might be getting his first assignment as an agent for the Society Against Evil in their war against the Cursed God.

James finished signing a report and then looked at the younger man. “Mr. Dawson, I see that you’ve finished your training, but you haven’t been given any assignments as of yet,” he said, tapping the file with one finger.

“That’s correct, Mr. McCoy,” Shane confirmed. “I competed my training a few months ago and have been waiting for an assignment. Is there any particular reason for me being here, sir?”

“Yes, there is a reason,” said James. “How well do you know a YouTuber named Joey Graceffa?”

Shane blinked, taken aback a bit by the question. “Very well,” he answered. “Joey and I have been friends for a long time, at least nine years since we both started uploading videos on YouTube back in ‘07. Why do you ask, sir?”

“It’s come to my attention that the Evil that’s been hiding somewhere in this state has targeting Joey,” James explained, “and this is a concern given that Mr. Graceffa is a friend of Dawn Hatcher. Do you know her?”

Shane nodded. “I do,” he responded. “Joey introduced Dawn to me five years ago, along with other YouTubers. Sir, what is going on and what does this have to do with Dawn?”

“The Council of Elders is concerned that the Evil that is currently targeting Mr. Graceffa may go after Miss Hatcher as well,” James informed him. “There is only so much that I can tell you, Mr. Dawson, but it’s in everyone’s best interest to keep her safe as much as possible.”

“Of course, sir.”

James nodded and gave the young man his mission. “Now, it looks like the Evil is hiding somewhere outside of Los Angles, but the area is wide of where it could be hiding,” he explained. “Rumors have it, that there is a house locked in the 1920s, but finding it is proving to be difficult. So, keep tabs on Joey and Dawn as much as you can, and if you get any hint of where the 1920s house could be, contact me at once.”

“I’ll be sure to do that, sir,” Shane agreed and, after finalizing a few things, he left to go back home.

Once the young man was gone, James got up and went to the nearest window, pondering the situation. When Dawn Hatcher’s acting career had grown so that she was spending more time in Hollywood, he’d been ordered by the Council of Elders to keep tabs on her while she was in California, and he’d been doing so, especially with her spending so much time with the YouTube community.

_‘I hope that this doesn’t go south on us,’_ he thought, and he went back to focus on the paperwork that was cluttering his desk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quite the plot twist right? See you all tomorrow with the next chapter. Bye for now!


	5. Chapter 4: Hypnosis Fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for the YouTube Creator Summit and there's going to be a hypnotist there. Who will volunteer to be hypnotized?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world, and welcome back to ETN! So, like I said yesterday, I didn't get to go to the dentist because he had to step out to deal with something, and so next week is when I'll have the root canal business done. Bummer isn't it?
> 
> Any who, time to get on with the story!

CHAPTER FOUR: HYPNOSIS FUN

*****

YouTube Creator Summit  
New York City, New York  
May 11, 2016…

It was day one of the YouTube Creator Summit, where a large number of YouTubers were gathered to do all kinds of workshops, some of them were interviewing people connected to the entertainment business, and watching all kinds of performances.

*****

Among the YouTubers that were invited to attend was Joey Graceffa, and he was excited for this particular summit since his best friend, Dawn Hatcher, was one of the people being interviewed by another friend of his, fellow YouTuber Matthew ‘MatPat’ Patrick. He also found that the summit was effectively distracting him from a nightmare that’d been plaguing him for the past ten days.

*****

After doing the interview, Dawn headed out into the main part of the room, finding Joey sitting with some other YouTubers on one of the couches to wait for the arrival of a hypnotist named Richard Barker, who was going to put on a show with volunteers from among the YouTubers.

“Donny!” Joey jumped up and hugged the brunette, who returned the hug despite the snickering coming from YouTubers like Tyler Oakley, and they sat down together on the couch. “You did a great job up there.”

“Thanks, Joey,” Dawn said with a smile. “So, how’s the summit be going for everyone?”

Soon, the group was talking about their experiences, with Tyler joking that it’d been horrible, and when the topic shifted to the opportunity of volunteering to be hypnotized, they were all soon trying to convince Dawn to take part in the show, who wasn’t too keen on the idea.

*****

It wasn’t long before hypnotist Richard Barker walked onto the stage, being greeted by cheers from the gathered YouTubers, and he beamed at them as he spoke into the microphone provided with a request that he would need ten volunteers from the audience as ten chairs were set up on the stage behind him. He waited as the volunteers stepped onto the stage, noting that Joey and another YouTuber named Jesse Wellens were escorting the reluctant Dawn onto the stage with them.

*****

Once they were all on the stage and one of the volunteers got rid of his gum, Richard had some of them switch places so that a brown-haired girl was sitting on the right of Alex Wassabi, three girls were seated next to him on the left, a YouTuber named Yousef Erakat was seated next to the three girls, a YouTuber named Jamal was seated next to him, and in the final three seats were Jesse, Dawn, and Joey.

“Stare straight ahead for just a moment,” Richard requested and the volunteers did so. “In a moment, I’ll count to three and all I want you to do is close your eyes.” He then walked behind them as he counted to three and made a popping sound with his mouth while snapping his fingers, and the volunteers shut their eyes. “Good,” he said as he reached where Joey was seated. “Open them back up again.” And they did. “There you go, there’s no magic potion, magic pixie dust, Harry Potter is not gonna run on stage with a with a magic wand. There is no feeling with hypnosis at all. All hypnosis feels like what you imagine it to be. Now, some of you might not make the cut, in other words, some of you might not go into the level of hypnosis I need you for. If that does actually apply to you, I’ll whisper into your ear, “Leave the stage”. Now all you have to do with no worries, troubles, or fusses, stand up, and just get off the stage. It doesn’t mean I don’t love you, it just means I can’t use for the rest of the show.”

Richard moved back behind the volunteers as the image on the screens changed to a black surface with golden lights dancing across it, and soft music began playing over the sound system as he spoke again.

“Stare straight ahead at the object at the back of the room,” he instructed and they did so. “I want you to think of sleep, each and in every way, you’ll feel better about yourself every time you think of sleep, and every time you hear my voice. Just allow yourself to relax, don’t let any troubles disturb you, don’t worry about anyone in the room, do not worry about the person sitting next to you. Put your hands on your lap, and just begin to relax. Just become a custom and in tune to the sound of my voice. In a few moments, I’ll count to three one more time. This time I do reach three, you take a deep breath this time. When you breath in, your eyes will close, and when you breath out, you will let your heavy head rest down to your chest. Once again, I’ll count to three and not before, for when I reach three, take a deep breath in, allow your eyes to close, and when you breath out, let your heavy head rest down to your chest. One, two, three. Breath in.”

Richard breathed into the microphone as the volunteers all inhaled, several of them already closing their eyes. “Breath in, close your eyes, and breath out” he exhaled into the microphone, noting that both Dawn and Joey had let their heads drop to their chests “allow your head to fall to your chest.” And soon all of the volunteers had their heads resting on their chests. “I will count to three again, and you will open your eyes. One, two, three.” And the volunteers opened their eyes, raising their heads. “Look at the object and close your eyes” and they did so “and let them fall even further, all the way down, allow your eyes to close, and let your heavy head fall onto your chest.” And as he spoke the volunteers let their heads fall onto their chests once again. “Now on the count of three, let all of the muscles in your body relax. Let them become like jelly, and just relax with no fear of falling out of your chairs for you will remain seated, like you have a safety belt around your waist. One, two, three!”

Richard made the same popping sound and the audience laughed as both Dawn and Joey slump forward so that their heads were resting on their knees. _‘This is going to be a fun show,’_ he thought, already guessing that those two were going to be the floppers of the group, and he returned his attention to doing the show with his volunteers.

*****

By the time that Richard was nearing the end of the show, only five volunteers were still on the stage, and they were Jamal, Amanda, Dawn, Joey, and Yousef. So far the show had been a success, and he’d been right about Joey and Dawn being the floppers, having had them end up on the floor twice so far.

He was now standing behind the volunteers and was speaking to Joey while Yousef was asleep in his chair, which Richard had moved to the side, while he’d been prancing around the stage like Tinkerbell, so that there was a gap. “Can you spell your full name for me?” he requested with one hand on the young man’s shoulder, having convinced him that his first name was EIEIO.

“E-I-E-I-O,” Joey recited as the audience laughed. “M-I-C-H-A-E-L. G-R-A-C-E-F-F-A.”

Chuckling, Richard removed his hand from Joey’s shoulder and tapped the side of his head. “Sleep.” And he helped the young man lie down on the floor when he fell out of the chair for the third time. “I got you, I got you, just relax.” Once Joey was lying on the floor, asleep, he turned to Dawn while moving the empty chair aside a little. “Can you tell me your name?” he asked, and when the brunette tried to speak, she ended up meowing like a cat instead.

As the audience laughed, Dawn clamped her hands over her mouth, her eyes wide and her face was going red since this was embarrassing for her, and she couldn’t understand why she kept meowing like a cat.

“Did you just meow like a cat?” Richard asked the brunette, and she nodded, not trusting herself to speak. “Let’s try again. Can you tell me your first name?” And chuckled when she shook her head. “Ok” he tapped the side of her head “Sleep.” And he caught her as her eyes slid shut, and she slumped out of the chair. “I got you, I got you, just relax.” And he helped her sleeping form onto the floor before walking around the chairs. “Told you they both were floppers.” And the audience laughed while he compelled Jamal and Amanda to sleep once again.

*****

When Richard reached the number five, the volunteers woke up, with both Dawn and Joey being confused since they were on the floor for the third time in a row, and after being helped up and thanked, they left the stage with the others to rejoin their friends, and so Joey could get his camera back since others had been filming the whole thing for him.

*****

“I can’t believe you two ended up on the floor three times,” Jesse teased them as they headed for the workshop that was being held by Rachel Ray.

“Don’t remind me,” Dawn groaned while they snickered. “That was embarrassing. I can’t believe that I let you guys talk me into going up there.”

“Oh, it was all in fun, and you know it, Donny,” Joey joked, giving her a one-armed hug.

“Yeah right,” the brunette grumbled. “I hate you all.”

“No you don’t,” was the response and she rolled her eyes.

There were just two days left to the summit, and there was still a lot to do.

*****

Later that same night, Richard was in his hotel room, where he opened a case to reveal a familiar-looking steampunk-like device and turned it on before picking up the mouthpiece. “Agent Barker to base. Agent Barker to base.”

_`“This is base. Give your report, Agent Barker.”`_

“I came into contact with both Dawn Hatcher and Joey Graceffa,” Richard reported. “Both are receptive to hypnosis, and could play a factor at a later date if required.”

_`“Noted, Agent Barker, and thank you. Continue with current assignment until further notice.”`_

“Roger that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One never knows who will be receptive to hypnosis and who won't be. Both Joey and Dawn certain are receptive.
> 
> So, because I have an opening shift on Tuesday, the next update will be on Monday once again. I will see you all on Monday and I hope you all have a fun weekend. Bye for now!


	6. CHAPTER FIVE: HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone has an interest in Joey and Dawn. Who is this man and why does he want them? Does it have to do with the nightmare that's plaguing Joey?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome back to Escape the Night! Yeah, it's a bit later then I would normally post on a Monday morning, but real life was requiring my attention, and I had a bit of a rough weekend since I got sick and spent most of Saturday throwing up and curled up on the couch, semi-coheret and feeling useless.
> 
> Anyway, time to see what is going to happen next in this prequel. On with the story!

CHAPTER FIVE: HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT

*****

In a hidden location, the man was questioning Vincent again about the recent visions he’d been receiving, determined to get as much information about the boy that the Evil was targeting, and what he’d obtained so far has revealed that this boy could be the answer to a problem he’d been facing when it came to the Evil that he served.

Vincent grunted as the man slapped him across the face hard, and his lip started bleeding. “Please…please that’s – that’s all that I saw – _please!_ ” he pleaded, tears of pain streaming down his face as he looked up at the cruel man. “The target is a boy, and that’s it! I don’t know anything else about him, I _don’t!_ ”

The man didn’t believe him, grabbed the front of the straitjacket, and yanked the terrified man to his feet. “No, you know more, and I need to know it all,” he ordered, shaking the man. “Tell me everything, Vincent. Tell me everything about the boy and whoever else you’ve seen with him. _Do it!_ ” He listened as Vincent emotionally broke down and told him the rest of the vision, having seen a young woman with curly brunette hair, blue eyes, and she seemed to have some kind of Light about her. “Thank you.”

Vincent grunted as he was dropped to the floor and waited until the man had left, locking the door behind him, before curling up in a ball and began crying once again.

*****

Going to a different room, the man opened a book and wrote down everything that he’d been told by the insane man, and once this was done, he shut and pocketed the book. _‘Now to see if what Vincent has told me will be useful or not,’_ he thought, leaving the room to go elsewhere in order to double-check the information.

*****

During the first week of June, one of the Society Against Evil’s agents that was assigned to keep tabs on Dawn Hatcher, followed the actress as she meet up with Joey Graceffa at a café and, after they had lunch, continued following them to one of the parks. Using a device, the agent listened to their conversation, learning about the dream that’d been plaguing Joey, and it was clear that this dream was being sent to the boy by the Evil.

*****

While this was going on, the man that served the Evil was using resources in the modern world to do his research, and by doing this, he learned the identity of the young man being targeted by the Evil and the identity of the young woman that he was friends with.

_‘Well, well, well, this is unexpected,’_ the man thought, looking at the images of Joey Graceffa and Dawn Hatcher on a computer screen in a library computer lab that was mostly empty. _‘Thank you, Vincent, you’ve been more helpful with that last vision then even I thought was possible.’_ Yes, these two young people were the answer to his problem.

_‘I can use them both,’_ the man thought, gathering as much information about the couple, along with those that were friends of them, and started making plans of how to approach them both. Once he had what he needed, he left the library, unaware that one of the people in the computer lab was a Society agent, who proceeded to follow him.

*****

In a Society’s safe house, James was going over reports with two other Society leaders when a dark-skinned man entered with a cellphone. “Yes?”

“A call from the field, sir.”

Sighing, James took the cellphone from him and answered it, figuring that it had to do with the meeting between Dawn and Joey. “Yes?”

_`“Mr. McCoy, this is Agent Brock,”`_ said a male voice. _`“I found that man that is suspected of serving the Evil, and I am currently following him.”`_

“Excellent,” said James, knowing who it was that the agent was talking about. “Where did you find him?”

_`“At the library, sir,”`_ Agent Brock answered. _`“He was doing research on the young man Joey Graceffa and he was also doing research on Dawn Hatcher, along with anyone that they happen to be friends with.”`_

James frowned since this was troubling news. “Keep following him and see if you can pinpoint the hiding place of the Evil.”

_`“Yes, sir.”`_

James ended the call and handed the cellphone back to the man before turning his attention to the two other leaders. “It seems that there has been a development and it’s troubling,” he informed them, sharing what he’d learned.

*****

Agent Brock continued following the white-colored 1920s car through the streets of Los Angles, making sure to keep a distance so that the man driving the other car wouldn’t see that he’s being followed, and they drove out of the city.

Knowing that the hiding place for the Evil was suppose to be somewhere forty minutes outside of the city limits, Agent Brock noted the time as he kept following the 1920s car as it pulled onto a different road leading toward the mountains, and across a bridge. He briefly lost sight of the car as it went around a bend in the road, and he caught a glimpse of a flash of golden light when he made the turn – only to see that there was no sign of the other car.

Perplexed, Agent Brock pulled to the side of the road, parking, and got out of the car to look around the area with a device to scan for anything out of the ordinary. _‘How can a car just disappear?’_ he wondered, scanning the area for several minutes until the device pinged. _‘Ah, so that’s how he did it. No wonder we haven’t had any luck.’_

He got back into the car and turned on the communication device. “Agent Brock to base. Agent Brock to base.”

_`“This is base. Report Agent Brock.”`_

“I lost the target,” Agent Brock reported. “However, I have data that might help in pinpointing the 1920s house that the Evil has been hiding inside this whole time.”

_`“Standby.”`_ And there was silence for several minutes before the voice spoke again. _`“Agent Brock, you are to return to base with the data promptly.”`_

“Roger that.”

*****

In a conference room of the safe house, James was updating the other Society leaders and the Council of Elders on everything that had been going on. “…and based on the data collected, it appears that the servant of the Evil is using a device in order to travel from the modern era to the 1920s and the other way around. Given this information, it makes sense of why we haven’t been able to find the house, and if the Evil continues to target Joey Graceffa, it very well might have its’ servant lure him to the house itself.”

_`“McCoy, are you suggesting that we use this boy as bait?”`_ the First Elder inquired, his forehead furrowed. _`“The Society has the means to travel to where the Evil is hiding and end this once and for all without risking any innocent lives. Or do you have another reason for your suggestion of action?”`_

“Yesterday, Joey Graceffa meet up with Dawn Hatcher and he told her about the nightmare that he’d been having,” James explained. “And according to a recent report, he has stopped having the dream because of that meeting. She unknowingly used the Light to help her friend, and I suspect that the Evil won’t let this stand.”

_`“So, you believe that the Evil will send its’ servant after the boy in order to lure him to the 1920s house, where it can influence him again with the dream?”`_ one of the male Elders guessed.

James nodded. “Yes, and I have already assigned Shane Dawson to keep tabs on both the boy and Dawn Hatcher when this first started,” he reminded them. “If there is a chance that Dawson can gain access to the 1920s house with the ritual, then he can put a stop to the Evil without any lost of life, but that is only if he gets an invite to the location and can find the artifacts rumored to be hidden somewhere in the house.”

_`“That is quite a gamble you’re taking, McCoy,”`_ the First Elder remarked. _`“And what will happen if Dawn Hatcher ends up going to the 1920s house, too? Are you willing to risk the life of a potential Light-bearer who has no idea what she carries inside her?”`_

“I rather not risk any lives if possible, sir,” James said honestly. “But we all know that there are risks when fighting against the minions of the Cursed God, and after going after this particular Evil for so long, there is now a strong chance of defeating it and striking a heavy blow against its’ master at the same time.”

The First Elder sighed, knowing that James was right, and this was an opportunity that couldn’t be wasted when it arose. _`“Very well, McCoy,”`_ he agreed reluctantly and both the other Elders and the leaders all nodded in agreement. _`“Alert your agents in the field, and keep us all aware of your progress.”`_

“Yes, sir.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Using Joey and Dawn as bait? Man, what a twist, right? Anyway, next update will be on Thursday since I have work tomorrow morning at the movie theater and the next day I will be FINALLY going to the dentist to get the root canal business over with!
> 
> Anyway, see you all on Thursday. Bye for now! R&R everyone!


	7. CHAPTER SIX: SOMETHING WICKED…

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Society Against Evil are still keeping tabs on Dawn and also on Joey. Shane still doesn't know why the Society is interested in Dawn, and the Evil is determined to lure in Joey by any means. This is the beginning of what will eventually become the longest night for a certain group of YouTubers.
> 
> Who will make it out alive and at what cost?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, world and welcome to the final installment of the prequel to Escape the Night! So, this will tie into the prologue for the pilot episode of the series, and I will start posting the next installment tomorrow.

CHAPTER SIX: SOMETHING WICKED…

*****

In the weeks that followed, the Society Against Evil agents kept tabs on both Joey and Dawn, and when both were approached by the Evil’s servant, who they managed to learn was named Arthur Kenneth, to visit the 1920s house, which Joey was lead to believe that he was inheriting from a distant relation, concerns were once again raised since this was increasing the risks of the Evil figuring out that the girl was a potential Light-bearer, and that it would probably try to kill her if given the chance.

Even James had to admit that this was a level of risk that he wasn’t willing to take and intended to send a team to the 1920s house a time when neither Joey or Dawn were there…when he got word from Shane that he’d just received an invite from the couple to attend a dinner party at the 1920s house with a number of other YouTubers, and it was clear that this was the opportunity to get rid of the Evil.

*****

“Mr. Dawson, you understand what will happen if you should fail to complete your mission,” James said to the young man as he was provided with the ritual that, if performed correctly, would seal away the Evil. “If you fail, then everyone that enters that house will die.”

“I understand, sir,” Shane replied, looking over the ritual before folding and pocketing the papers inside his jacket. “Sir, I’ve been keeping tabs on Dawn and Joey like you asked, but why is the Society keeping tabs on her? I mean, what’s the reason for there being so many agents watching over her?”

“I wish I could tell you, Mr. Dawson,” James said with honest regret, “but this isn’t the time or the place, not with this chance to rid the world of the Evil and strike a blow against the Cursed God.”

Shane could tell that the older man was definitely keeping something from him, something that involved the actress that he’d befriended because of Joey, but he also knew better then to questioned the leaders of the Society Against Evil. “Very well, sir,” he said finally. “Because of how the house is locked in time, how will I alert you when I have finished my mission?”

“There will be a team standing by to monitor the area,” James answered. “And when you’ve completed the ritual, the spell around the house will weaken long enough for them to go in, and get all of you out of there. Shane, it’s possible that those who serve the Evil will most likely peg you for a Society agent, and if you do die before you finish your mission-”

“I know the risk, sir,” Shane interrupted. “And I already have a letter ready incase that does happen. But I won’t fail, I have no intention of failing.”

*****

When the day for the dinner party arrived, Shane made sure that he had both the ritual and the letter inside his 1920s jacket before heading outside to wait for the car that would take him to the 1920s house. He knew that there were risks, but he’d been trained and taught by the Society Against Evil, the same people who had trained his own parents, and other members of the Dawson family going back generations, and when you were given a mission, you followed it through, even at the cost of your own life.

_‘I rather not die,’_ he thought, _‘but if I do, then it is meant to happen. I just hope that I don’t so that I can get everyone out of that house once I’ve found the artifacts and sealed away the Evil. Maybe after this mission is over, I can find out why the Society is so invested in Dawn.’_ He’d first realized that she was being followed by Society agents when he had worked on a few projects with her, and all attempts to find out why had been blocked because the information was apparently above his pay grade.

Shane pushed the thoughts of why his bosses were keeping tabs on Dawn and focused instead on the mission. According to the invitation, nothing modern could be taken, which was why he’d left his phone and other gadgets in his house, and the character he was to portray was the Renegade in both appearance and in personality.

It wasn’t hard for him to come up with the right kind of Renegade for the 1920s, and when he had gone to a thrift store to look for the right kind of clothing, he’d crossed paths with Oli, Tim, and a few other YouTubers who revealed that they had also been invited to the 1920s dinner by Joey and Dawn. Upon learning this, he’d alerted the Society of who else was going to be there, and made a point of finding out who else had been invited to the dinner party among the members of the YouTube community.

Shane had been a bit alarmed to learn that, counting himself, a total of twelve YouTubers had been invited to attend the dinner, and it was clear to him that this was probably going to complicate his mission. However, it was also possible that this could also help with his mission, too. With this group in the house, it was possible that the Evil would be distracted, along with those that serve it, and he could use the dinner party as a cover so that he could track down the four artifacts and use them in the ritual to seal away the Evil without anyone dying.

_‘When an opportunity presents itself,’_ he thought as he heard a car engine and saw the white 1920s car heading his way, _‘you take it and run with it. That’s what I’m going to do tonight, and by doing so, we all will be one step closer to ending this war against the Cursed God.’_ He waited as the car pulled up alongside the curb and, after confirming to the driver that he was indeed Shane Dawson, got inside the vehicle.

*****

As Shane was driven to his destination, he noted the route that the driver was taking, and made sure of the time when they left the city limits. _‘This house is suppose to be located forty minutes outside of the city limits,’_ he thought as the car was driven over a wooden bridge and along a road leading to the mountains.

As the car rounded a bend, Shane saw a set of iron gates that opened and when the driver used a steampunk-like device, his jaw dropped in amazement when there was a flash of golden light and the 1920s house appeared like magic right before his eyes. _‘Omigosh!’_ he thought as the car pulled up next to the house and a man, dressed as a butler, came out and down the front steps. _‘No wonder no one could find this place! It did appear like magic!’_

Shane was pulled out of his shocked state when the man opened the door, and he got out of the car. Thanking the man, he started up the steps to enter the house. Now that he was there, he just had to find the right time to locate the artifacts, do the ritual, and get everyone out alive and safe.

Little did Shane know, that what he needed to do, wasn’t going to go as planned, or that he’d already been pegged as an agent for the Society Against Evil by the very man who was letting him into the house at that exact moment.

The end…for now.

*****

I have so many, so many regrets.

So many lies, so many broken ties.

I wish for my old life.

Wish I could fix my strike.

Cause no one truly escapes the night.

Oh, won't you help me escape the night.

Oh baby help me escape the night.

Escape the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh, for those who have seen the series, or at least season 1, the fact that Shane has already been pegged isn't a good sign, is it? I will see you all tomorrow the start of the next installment. Bye for now! R&R everyone!

**Author's Note:**

> Probably not what you were expecting, right? I will update again on Monday and go through there. R&R everyone!


End file.
